Vibrational Strong Coupling in THz Plasmonic Nanocavities

Vibrational Strong Coupling in THz Plasmonic Nanocavitie

Magnetic hot-spot generation at optical frequencies: from plasmonic metamolecules to all-dielectric nanoclusters

AbstractThe weakness of magnetic effects at optical frequencies is directly related to the lack of symmetry between electric and magnetic charges. Natural materials cease to exhibit appreciable magnetic phenomena at rather low frequencies and become unemployable for practical applications in optics. For this reason, historically important efforts were spent in the development of artificial materials. The first evidence in this direction was provided by split-ring resonators in the microwave range. However, the efficient scaling of these devices towards the optical frequencies has been prevented by the strong ohmic losses suffered by circulating currents. With all of these considerations, artificial optical magnetism has become an active topic of research, and particular attention has been devoted to tailor plasmonic metamolecules generating magnetic hot spots. Several routes have been proposed in these directions, leading, for example, to plasmon hybridization in 3D complex structures or Fano-like magnetic resonances. Concurrently, with the aim of electromagnetic manipulation at the nanoscale and in order to overcome the critical issue of heat dissipation, alternative strategies have been introduced and investigated. All-dielectric nanoparticles made of high-index semiconducting materials have been proposed, as they can support both magnetic and electric Mie resonances. Aside from their important role in fundamental physics, magnetic resonances also provide a new degree of freedom for nanostructured systems, which can trigger unconventional nanophotonic processes, such as nonlinear effects or electromagnetic field localization for enhanced spectroscopy and optical trapping

Engineering 3D Multi-Branched Nanostructures for Ultra- Sensing Applications

The fabrication of plasmonic nanostructures with sub-10 nm gaps supporting extremely large electric field enhancement (hot-spot) has attained great interest over the past years, especially in ultra-sensing applications. The “hot-spot” concept has been successfully implemented in surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) through the extensive exploitation of localized surface plasmon resonances. However, the detection of analyte molecules at ultra-low concentrations, i.e., down to the single/few molecule level, still remains an open challenge due to the poor localization of analyte molecules onto the hot-spot region. On the other hand, three-dimensional nanostructures with multiple branches have been recently introduced, demonstrating breakthrough performances in hot-spot-mediated ultra-sensitive detection. Multi-branched nanostructures support high hot-spot densities with large electromagnetic (EM) fields at the interparticle separations and sharp edges, and exhibit excellent uniformity and morphological homogeneity, thus allowing for unprecedented reproducibility in the SERS signals. 3D multi-branched nanostructures with various configurations are engineered for high hot-spot density SERS substrates, showing an enhancement factor of 1011 with a low detection limit of 1 fM. In this view, multi-branched nanostructures assume enormous importance in analyte detection at ultra-low concentrations, where the superior hot-spot density can promote the identification of probe molecules with increased contrast and spatial resolution

Phase II Randomized Study of Vandetanib Plus Gemcitabine or Gemcitabine Plus Placebo as First-Line Treatment of Advanced Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer in Elderly Patients

Introduction:The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of vandetanib plus gemcitabine (V/G) compared with gemcitabine alone in elderly patients with untreated advanced non–small-cell lung cancer.Methods:This was a phase II, randomized, double-blind study. A total of 124 elderly patients (mean age, 75 yr; age range, 70–84 yr; 73% men) received V/G (n = 61) or placebo plus gemcitabine (n = 63). Progression-free survival (PFS) was the primary endpoint. Secondary endpoints were overall survival, objective response rate, duration of response, disease control rate, time to deterioration of performance status, and safety outcomes.Results:PFS was significantly prolonged with V/G (median, 183 days; 95% confidence interval, 116–214) compared with placebo plus gemcitabine (median, 169 days; 95% confidence interval, 95–194; p = 0.047). No statistically significant differences between arms were observed in all secondary endpoints, including overall survival. The addition of vandetanib to gemcitabine was well tolerated. The rate of patients with ≥1 treatment-related adverse event was comparable in the two arms, pyrexia, dyspnea, and neutropenia being the most common adverse events.Conclusions:V/G combination was associated with a statistically significant prolongation of PFS compared with gemcitabine alone in untreated elderly patients with advanced non–small-cell lung cancer, with an acceptable safety profile

A microfluidic device engineering for cell electroporation

La traslezione cellulare è una tecnica usata per inserire materiale genetico all'interno di cellule e modificarne l'informazione genetica. Uno dei metodi di traslezione più utilizzati è l'elettroporazione, che permette di aprire pori transitori nella membrana cellulare attraverso l'applicazione di un campo elettrico. In questa tesi è stato sviluppato un chip microfluidico atto ad essere usato per esperimenti di elettroporazion

Custom-Made Direct Metal Laser Sintering Titanium Subperiosteal Implants: A Retrospective Clinical Study on 70 Patients

Purpose. To present a digital technique for the fabrication of custom-made subperiosteal implants and to report on the survival and complication rates encountered when using these fixtures. Methods. The data used for this retrospective clinical study were derived from the medical records of five different private dental practices. Inclusion criteria were patients over the age of 60, treated with custom-made direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) titanium subperiosteal implants (Eagle-Grid®, BTK, Dueville, Vicenza) during a two-year period (2014-2015) and restored with fixed restorations; all enrolled patients needed to have complete pre- and postoperative clinical and radiographic documentation, with at least 2 years of follow-up. Exclusion criteria were smoking and bruxism. The main outcomes looked at were implant survival and complications. Results. Seventy patients (39 males and 31 females, aged 62-79 years) who had been treated with custom-made DMLS titanium subperiosteal implants were enrolled in this study. After 2 years of follow-up, three implants were lost due to recurrent, untreatable infections; the survival rate was therefore 95.8% (67/70 implants). Four patients reported pain/discomfort/swelling after implant placement; the incidence of immediate postoperative complications was therefore 5.7% (4/70 implants). During the follow-up period, one patient suffered from recurrent infections classified as a biologic complication; the incidence of biologic complications was therefore 1.4% (1/67 surviving implants). Finally, four patients experienced prosthetic problems with their implant-supported restorations during the provisional phase (fracture of the acrylic restoration) and two patients had ceramic chipping of the definitive restoration; the incidence of prosthetic complications was therefore 8.9% (6/67 surviving implants). Conclusions. Within the limits of the present study (limited follow-up time and low number of patients treated, retrospective design), the application of custom-made DMLS titanium subperiosteal implants showed satisfactory implant survival (95.8%) and low complication rates. Further studies are needed to confirm the positive outcomes found in this research

Magnetic hot-spot generation at optical frequencies: from plasmonic metamolecules to all-dielectric nanoclusters

Magnetic hot-spot generation at optical frequencies: from plasmonic metamolecules to all-dielectric nanocluster

The 26-item version of the Kenny-Music Performance Anxiety Inventory: Italian validation and analysis of its psychometric properties

Music Performance Anxiety is a specific type of performance anxiety, impairing musical performers around the world. To explain this condition, a model composed of three different and integrated factors was proposed: a factor associated to concerns related to the performance setting, a factor associated to psychological vulnerability (i.e., depressive thinking style), and a factor associated to early parental relationships sustain the development of music performance anxiety. Based on this model, the 26-item version of the Kenny – Music Performance Anxiety Inventory (K-MPAI, Kenny et al., 2006) was developed. The aim of the present study was to assess the psychometric properties of an Italian version of this measure. A sample of 319 music performers was recruited and completed this measure, as well as measures related to depression, general anxiety, and social anxiety. After several adjustments, an Exploratory Factor Analysis and a Confirmatory Factor Analysis highlighted a three-factor structure as the best factorial solution for this questionnaire, matching the proposed model. Sex invariance was supported, internal consistency was good, and no strong correlations with age emerged. Moreover, convergent validity and temporal stability were achieved. Accordingly, validity and reliability of the 26-item Italian version of the K-MPAI were confirmed. This questionnaire emerged as a reliable tool to assess music performance anxiety among different Italian music performers. Finally, due to its briefness, it emerged as a viable measure to assess music performance anxiety in both research and clinical settings

Plasmon Hybridization in Compressible Metal-Insulator-Metal Nanocavities: An Optical Approach for Sensing Deep Sub-Wavelength Deformation

A pressure-induced deformation-sensitive device (DSD) is presented based on 2D matrices of plasmonic gold nanodisks coupled to a metal thin layer through a compressible dielectric spacer, namely a deformable metal-insulator-metal (MIM) nanocavity, to report deep sub-wavelength size variations (<lambda/200). The system is characterized by two hybrid branches, which are resonant in the visible/near infrared spectral region. The fundamental mode, owing to the near-field interaction between the plasmonic nanostructures and the metal film, exhibits a remarkable sensitivity to the gap size, exceeding that of a planar "macroscopic" optical cavity and extending its operational domain to the sub-wavelength range, where excellent opportunities toward truly multiscale MIMs-based pressure sensors can be envisioned. Concurrently, its intrinsic plasmonic nature synergistically combines into a single platform multi-purpose functionalities, such as ultrasensitive detection and remote temperature readout, with practical perspectives in ultra-compact inspection tools for structural and functional information at the nanoscale

Dataset on a Small-Scale Film-Coating Process Developed for Self-Expanding 4D Printed Drug Delivery Devices

Film-coating is widely applied in pharmaceutics to enhance aspect/taste and mechanical properties of dosage forms, to protect them from the environment and to modify their release performance. In this respect, a film-coating process was recently involved in the development of 4D printed prolonged-release systems intended for organ retention. During coating processes, liquid formulations are sprayed onto moving cores, whose shape, weight and surface characteristics are essential to attain a homogeneous film. Devices of complex shapes, composed of smart materials and fabricated by hot-processing techniques, such as extrusion and fused deposition modeling 3D printing, might be poorly compatible with the requirements of traditional coating methods, e.g., need for spherical substrates with smooth surface and stable under process temperatures. This work was aimed at evaluating, at a small scale level, the feasibility of a versatile equipment for film-coating of rod-shaped extruded and printed prototypes with different section. Equipment design and set up of process parameters were performed starting from polymeric solutions and suspensions and selecting as cores 50 mm-long rod-shaped samples based on shape memory poly(vinyl alcohol). Integrity and thickness of the applied layer and its impact on shape memory and release performance of prototypes were investigated